"The Robing Room: NY State Judges

Hon. Lynn R. Kotler	See Rating Details
Civil Court
New York County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 1.7 - 9 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 4.0 - 3 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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General Rating Criteria

* Temperament		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Scholarship		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Industriousness		(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
* Ability to Handle Complex Litigation		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Punctuality		(1=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Lynn R. Kotler

Comments

Other

Comment #: NY13554
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Opposing party filed an affidavit in opposition to the petition, but did not file a cross-motion to dismiss. That didn't stop Judge Kotler from granting the non-existent cross-motion to dismiss

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12745
Rating:1.0

Comments:
To call Kotler a "judge" is an an insult to the legal profession. She's a heinous political hack and doesn't care in the slightest about following the law.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY12613
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Worst judge ever! She is completely about the politics in her case and the politics of where she thinks her bread is buttered. She is really impressed when large firms are before her, and is unfair to the max. Much more suited for traffic court!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12471
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Author of the absolute worst decision labor law decision I have ever read in decades of practice. Shockingly poor.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12259
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This is the worst Justice I have ever appeared before. She gets point after point wrong about the procedural history (and other) points of the case, does not hold conferences or oral argument on the record and then comes to bizarre conclusions as to what previously occurred. She stays a case, appoints a referee, keeps it stayed, unappoints the referee, and then speaks in an Order regarding "prejudice" to a Defendant for not completing discovery. She will not respond to letters or requests to become involved in discovery disputes (including depositions) because she is so busy - I suppose, more than any state or federal judge. The combination of her utter arrogance combined with incompetence is inexcusable, and goes to the very nature of how Judges make it to the bench in this state. As one of the attorneys states below, she should have stayed in traffic court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12199
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The absolute worst judge I have appeared before in over 30 years of practice. Mercurial and lacking any ability to follow proper procedure or legal precedent. When she makes a decision it is rife with errors, factual and legal. An absolute disgrace to the justice system.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12043
Rating:5.0

Comments:
What an absolute mess; after a several month heavily briefed summary judgment and a few more months of wasted time waiting on a decision she denies the motion as untimely when she could have done so when the motion was filed instead of waiting until after opposition and reply were fully briefed. In open court earlier in the case clearly did not grasp complex commercial litigation issues and seemed to prefer letting her court attorneys sort out the legal issues that she had no idea about. She should have stayed in traffic court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY12036
Rating:1.0

Comments:
We received a very poorly analyzed decision on a somewhat complicated summary judgment motion. Now there is a lengthy and expensive appeal for all parties. Beware.

Litigant

Comment #: NY11778
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Excellent judge who with her comprehensive background and expertise (17 years private practice civil litigation, NYS Civil Court and Supreme Court) resides respectfully and efficiently in the courtroom. It is obvious Judge Kotler truly stands behind every person having their day in court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY11725
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Worst of the worst of Judges. Has no inclination to follow court rules, or non-partisanship in a heated dispute. She makes pretenses in saying that she has no interest in previous matters that occurred, then comes down on one side with an absolute bias!

Litigant

Comment #: NY11436
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge ignored all the plaintiff evidence, including from Oral Argument.

Other

Comment #: NY11164
Rating:1.0

Comments:
A lightweight. She seems almost offended when a motion is filed and she's required actually to decide an issue. And once she finally issues an order, good luck getting her to enforce it if and when your opponent doesn't comply. In a case of any length or complexity, she's capable of pulling out a document randomly and relying on it without any self-recognition that she's not up speed sufficiently to put the document in context. She's fully capable of flip-flopping on issues from one court appearance to the next. Add in that her calendar days typically are a zoo, and you'll find that her court part is a prime example of just how bad it can be to practice in state courts.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY9624
Rating:2.9

Comments:
Judge Kotler has been moved from the traffic division to NY Supreme Court. (Category on this website has not yet been updated).

Judge Kotler is another of the acting Supreme Court judges appointed by the last outgoing Head Administrative Judge in 2017. In this instance, reassigned from traffic to general civil litigation. It is a pretty heavy lift to go from family, to traffic, to Supreme and that has shown in this judge's decisions. Have found that this judge has zero involvement in litigation management, even in complex cases that would proceed more smoothly with some involvement. Legal knowledge and comprehension is poor in a number of areas that are fundamental to most experienced judges. Not the brightest. Unfortunately I suspect that Judge Kotler plans to seek a non-acting Supreme seat, which does not bode well for lawyers trying to move complex cases through that Part.